I want to like Kafka so much. I like what I have read *about* him. I am a quarter Czech. I love that according to Kundera, Kafka means "jackdaw" as in the bird, and I have fairly close ancestors named Kafka although they were not Jewish. I listened years ago to a History of Literature podcast episode about the worst/best night of his life and the famous letter to his father and think about it regularly. One of our top twenty children's books is Kafka and the Doll and my daughter dressed up as him when she was six for literature day at school. I love the tone and attitude of the quotes and pieces of his work that regularly come across the transom of my bookish Substack experience. We have all the ingredients for being a Kafka household, people.
But what we don't have is an ability on my part to grapple successfully with his *books*. I've been grimly trying to get through The Castle for ages. The long sentences; the long paragraphs; the inscrutability of the characters and their actions and motivations; the hitting-walls-in-mazes feel every time a tiny bit of plot momentum gets going. I know that's all purposeful. But it's hard! It's interesting to know that part of the challenge is the translation issues which were apparently also purposeful. Our boy Franz deserves a noogie for making the puzzles so hard!
I love how translations are so different. I recently heard Daniel Mendelson talk about translating the Odyssey and how he handled the many epithets. Translation is a never a straight line and capturing the sense of the meaning is more of an art than most people realize.
I recently saw a video of two women talking about going out to get some coffee. They were speaking in English, but deliberately using German grammar. It was almost incomprehensible. That video gave me a new appreciation for the difficult job translators have.
No doubt the translators of Kafka desire that the subjunctive of the original remain; but found it advisable that the text not be too wordy and vague for the English reader. I myself prefer that Kafka be translated as accurately as possible, as I am anxious that I understand a writer's intent.
As the above demonstrates, the subjunctive exists in English, but is not a preferred style. I have only read Kafka's Metamorphosis, in a public domain translation. It is an admirable little work of surrealism, which is a style I do not prefer, as it makes me feel like I am living in a dream and cannot wake up.
I love-no, more than love- Kafka and read all of his works since I came to Substack (was scared before. but didn't know of what, not having read him:) Folks here encouraged me not to be scared.
My translation was into Russian (language that slips away from me, but still at somewhat lesser speed than others)
Thank you for this post, Joel -what a great read
PS Oh how I'd want to write like Kafka, but unfortunately I just look like him a bit. That's funny though.
Has anyone read Susan Bernofsky's 2007 translation of Siddhartha? That's a book that I read and thought was profound in my early 20s, but I suspect rereading would fall short of my expectations now (some thirty years later).
While I'd lean toward Bernofsky based on the report above, Harman has translated several of Kafka's other works, and so I'd be more inclined to trust his judgment, having been developed over long acquaintance.
This was wonderful; thank you!
I want to like Kafka so much. I like what I have read *about* him. I am a quarter Czech. I love that according to Kundera, Kafka means "jackdaw" as in the bird, and I have fairly close ancestors named Kafka although they were not Jewish. I listened years ago to a History of Literature podcast episode about the worst/best night of his life and the famous letter to his father and think about it regularly. One of our top twenty children's books is Kafka and the Doll and my daughter dressed up as him when she was six for literature day at school. I love the tone and attitude of the quotes and pieces of his work that regularly come across the transom of my bookish Substack experience. We have all the ingredients for being a Kafka household, people.
But what we don't have is an ability on my part to grapple successfully with his *books*. I've been grimly trying to get through The Castle for ages. The long sentences; the long paragraphs; the inscrutability of the characters and their actions and motivations; the hitting-walls-in-mazes feel every time a tiny bit of plot momentum gets going. I know that's all purposeful. But it's hard! It's interesting to know that part of the challenge is the translation issues which were apparently also purposeful. Our boy Franz deserves a noogie for making the puzzles so hard!
I love how translations are so different. I recently heard Daniel Mendelson talk about translating the Odyssey and how he handled the many epithets. Translation is a never a straight line and capturing the sense of the meaning is more of an art than most people realize.
It's hard enough sometimes just trying to understand him in English.
I recently saw a video of two women talking about going out to get some coffee. They were speaking in English, but deliberately using German grammar. It was almost incomprehensible. That video gave me a new appreciation for the difficult job translators have.
🔃 Thanx Joel 🌐✍🏼📚
Lots to ponder 🪳🤔
.....and as always, pray for Translators! ❤️🔔🕯️
No doubt the translators of Kafka desire that the subjunctive of the original remain; but found it advisable that the text not be too wordy and vague for the English reader. I myself prefer that Kafka be translated as accurately as possible, as I am anxious that I understand a writer's intent.
As the above demonstrates, the subjunctive exists in English, but is not a preferred style. I have only read Kafka's Metamorphosis, in a public domain translation. It is an admirable little work of surrealism, which is a style I do not prefer, as it makes me feel like I am living in a dream and cannot wake up.
I love-no, more than love- Kafka and read all of his works since I came to Substack (was scared before. but didn't know of what, not having read him:) Folks here encouraged me not to be scared.
My translation was into Russian (language that slips away from me, but still at somewhat lesser speed than others)
Thank you for this post, Joel -what a great read
PS Oh how I'd want to write like Kafka, but unfortunately I just look like him a bit. That's funny though.
Has anyone read Susan Bernofsky's 2007 translation of Siddhartha? That's a book that I read and thought was profound in my early 20s, but I suspect rereading would fall short of my expectations now (some thirty years later).
While I'd lean toward Bernofsky based on the report above, Harman has translated several of Kafka's other works, and so I'd be more inclined to trust his judgment, having been developed over long acquaintance.